The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-02-13
IN THE KANKAKEE SWAMPS.
Bee-Tree Hunting, and How the Busy
Insect Is Robbed of Its Treasure.
Where the Original Garden of Eden Is Lo-
cated-A Talk with Its Owner, Who Is
Also the PoSSessor of 60, 900 Histories.


joining the Kankakee marshes, and even the
marshes themselves, are veritable fower-car
dens. This fact induces many farmers to invest
largely in bees, and as they require little atten-
ton in the busy season, their culture is lucra
tive pursuit. Frequently young swarms escape
to the WOODS bordering the river, and begin life
for themselves by making their home in a hollow
tree These bees, generally Italian hybrids, are
more industrious than their common wild name
sakes, and lay in vast stores of honey, some
times filling every crevice Of the limb or
hollow portion Of the tree. But the
bee, like the feathered inhabitants of
this REGION claims its chief |
enemy. Beetree hunting in October has many i
followers. The trapper, while making his daily /
rounds, always keeps his eye peeled for likely /
tree, and. if he finds one which contains honey, /
marks 1t and cuts it down at his leisure. Par /
ties from distance usually float down the river j
in fiat boats, bringing with them. besides their |
camp outfit a number of strong buckets and |
enough tame honey to put out what is called |
bee bait" When desirable location is found
they 60 into camp and erect two or three tall
poles IN an exposed place, on the top of which
they put their tame honey In the course Of a
| few hours the wild bees are attracted by the
lure and literally swarm around the
| poles. 1t is then the bee-hunter has to use
his eyes to the best of his ability. He watches
them closely until he gets Cine" then follows
| it up, and never takes his eyes from the flying
bees till he finds the place they have made their
home and stored their treasure. When the tree
| is found he returns to camp and informs his
| companions, who hasten with axes to cut 1t
| down. Sometimes the bees do not take kindly
| to this method of robbng them, and the ten
| derfoot" who does not properly protect himself
is apt to receive a singing rebuke that will
serve him the rest of the trip. A trained and
unerring eyesight is the chief requisite OF this
business, and many stories are told Of the far
seeing powers of some of the guides. John
Whitaker, who piloted party from
Kentland on trip of this kind last
fall, is said to be able to see
bee flying through the air hundred yards
away, and as an evidence of his skill the party
exhibited to the writer a boat nearly full of
honey. In one of the trees located by him was
found over two hundred pounds of the fluid,
which was very fragrant and almost clear
white in color. The section of tree containing
it measured ten feet In length. and was hiled
soliGly with comb varying in thickness from two
to four inches.
One day while returning to camp, the writer
|
in the marsh back of Redoaks, saw couple of
bee bait poles standing near the edge of a dense
wood, and, never having the method of
tracing the bees to their home, they sat down on
fallen log and quietly awaited the appearance
of the bee hunter In about half an hour an old
man, SIX feet tall and straight as an arrow, with
short trimmed beard that might have been
white but for its wealth of tobacco Juice, and
who otherwise looked as If he had seen the
rough side of life for at least sixty years, was
seen to emerge from the wood and approach the
inouisitve snipe-hunsers AS he drew near the
I followi1 catalogue ensued
"Good day, SIR"
Good day, strangers
81 see you are hunting BEES said the writer.
d eyes; my sons got a line out over there in
the woods, but it's hard to follow it up where the
0 trees thick" And them abruptly: Where
do you men come fromf
Giving the information he wished, similar
question was put to him. and he answered:
II live near Momence, IL! +, about thirty miles
u west of here, but my son and usually drive
over here in a roundabout way, every fall, in
Q quest of winters supply of honey.
'How long have you lived in the neighbor-
!? hood"
: II have lived around here all my life There
used to be plenty Of Indians here when 1 was a
S boy That place over there" pointing to a
raised piece of ground surrounded by swamps
and bayous, and called Indian Garden, twas a
| great place for them in the hunting and fshin g
season. The river run alongside of it then, but
has since changed its channel a hundred yards
o to the north
When it was suggested that he must know a
good deal about the early history of the coun-
q try, the old mans eyes fairly blazed.
b History" said he. Il have sixty thousand
histories at my bome!'
a 'SXty thouS-"
| tories of the wo-ld!' said the old man. as he
sharply broke in on the half-fnished query
what do you meant Are your histories
q books, or what are theyP
hey all IN yoo
" stones and Indian relics to other people, but
Q read them just like you would printed paper.
have books showing every event in the world
from the day it was made down to the 'presen;
y time"
r The old man paused for breath, while his eyes
: began to look moro wild and unsettled. The
| writer here took occasion to ask his name, when
| he again commenced:
sWby, have you never heard of mel NV
name is Dan1 Parmley and l own the original
| Garden of Eden"
The hunters became more interested, but the
| old man saw look of doubt in their eyes and
= again repeated;
Eyes. | an the possessor of the very garden
where Adam and Eve ate the apple for which
they were punished, and if you will visit my
! place can show you the spot where tho apple
tree grew. Excursion trains, with the most
a prominent scientists and historians of Europe,
= | Asia and Africa. have been run to my place TO
| see the garden and look at my histories. But
am the only one in the world who can read my
books. Historical societies have offered me
- large sums of money for them. but I would
not let them go. Many parties after fitting out
for exploring Asia IN search Of the original @ ar
den of Eden, have heard of me and came directly
to my home when 1 convinced them all that
the possessor of it, and that they need search
n no further"
a Here the DID, weather beaten historian became
u very excited, and his bee-hunting son. arriving
just as the conversation reached this point, the
writer and his COMPANION bid them both good
| day and returned to camp.
:, On making inquiries about Mr.. Parmley, IL
was found that he monomaniac on the
y subject of gathering Indian relics and odd-look
inc stones, and that his farm part of an ear